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Friday, November 29, 2013

cRaZy!

Crazy enough to consider going out in the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday to shop.

 ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~

Crazy enough to actually do it.

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And so glad we did.  


A little coffee coupled with a lot of laughter makes for super special memories with my kids.


One last sneak peak


Sharp!
 
 
In case you were wondering -
 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving

There is a flurry of activity here in our home with only 4 more days until the wedding,
 but I wanted to take a moment to wish you 

Happy Thanksgiving.  

May you have some peaceful moments 
during your celebration 
to reflect on the many, many blessings 
direct from the Lord's hands.



Give thanks to the Lord, for He good.  His lovingkindness is everlasting. 
Psalm 136:1



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Quotable Quotes

In our home we seem to quote movies... a lot.  
Some times the moment is just perfect for a classic line repeat. 

I'm going to list some quotes from our top ten quotable movies .  Let's see if you can guess the movie it comes from. 

{Now if I were the Pioneer Woman, I'd have a supreme giveaway for the winner, but alas, I am... well, me.  So, just have a little fun and see how ya do.}

1.  "Ben, I've got nothing."

2.  "It's so overt, it's covert."

3.  "I don't care what they say about you, Sir, you're a gentleman."

4.   "He pinches my cheek; I hate that."

5.  "He's delusional; he thinks he invented tin foil."

6.  "Hooray, I'm a llama again, Oh wait!"

7.  "It's better to use your head, than break your back, I always say."

8.  "You know what I'm thinking right now?  Where's my tuna fish sandwich?"

9.  "I'm bringing the party to you." 
       "How is this a party?"

10.  "Apparently, it's big deal."

and 1 bonus quote...

11.  "Bapple?"


Here are the answers for you.
1. National Treasure
2. Sherlock Holmes 2
3. Sahara
4. Princess Bride
5. While You Were Sleeping
6. The Emperor's New Groove
7. The Swiss Family Robinson
8. Iron Man 3
9. Avengers
10. Despicable Me
Bonus...Despicable Me

Leave a comment with your favorite movie quote.



Saturday, November 16, 2013

Let's talk turkey

We are all getting so excited for this year's Thanksgiving celebration.  We are hosting a big gathering.  Family is coming into town from afar for Sarah's wedding, which is the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and we are so excited that they included Thanksgiving with us in their plans too.  

Eric has some pretty special memories of making Varenyky for Thanksgiving with his great- grandmother, grandmother, and mother all in the kitchen together.  Can't you just see it? The kitchen is warm and inviting. Several pots are on the stove top boiling.  It smells of spices from pies baking.  These ladies in their aprons, gathered around the flour covered counters, rolling out dough, chatting, and laughing.  

While we won't have the great grandmas with us, we will have that same scene in our kitchen.  Varenyky is so delicious, but it does take quite a bit of time to make.  It's definitely a "do-ahead" item.  I can't wait to be gathered around our flour covered counters chatting and laughing with family that we don't get to see very often, making memories to savor along with the food. 

It's easy to get caught up in the planning, list making, and shopping, that all the while the little children feel a bit left out of the growing excitement.  They sweetly look up at me and ask, "What can I do?" 

I wanted to do this idea with the kids, but the leaves on our property are too wet and decayed.

So, the other day, this very un-crafty mother dug out some supplies so they could make handprint turkeys that we could use as place cards. 

{Great color lesson for the kids on what combinations make brown.}

I began with using brown paper lunch bags, but that became a bit cumbersome to cut open, so I switched to some rolled brown paper from the Dollar store

These are Mary Anne's chubby, little hand prints. 




It's such a simple thing, but the kids had so much fun, wearing a Daddy t-shirt {they make great aprons because they cover everything!} and getting messy.  
It dawned on me after we were done, that we could have just traced their hands on paper, but I think they liked the sloppy paint way better. :-) 

Once the paint was dry they colored in feathers and faces. They will look super cute placed on top of each place setting, and I am sure will be great conversation starters too. 

{The Contented Turkey}

{The Cheerful Turkey}

  {The Five Headed Turkey}

Wishing you fond memories with your blessings as you prepare for this Thanksgiving season.
 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Got Talent?

Last Sunday our church held its 3rd annual talent show.  It's a night full of fun and laughter. The entertainment varied from playing instruments,




Scripture recitation {They quoted all of Psalm 91}.



Singing 
{These seven sisters are well known for their acapela singing.}



This year Dan wanted to do a few "fool the eye" magic tricks.  Ellie was his beautiful assistant. 



They both did a great job.  Neither of them looked nervous.  Ellie was so cute digging through the bag for things that Dan needed, and Dan executed his tricks quite convincingly. 

Hannah joined with a couple of girl friends who play the violin. 



They played the Downton Abbey theme song.  They played flawlessly.  It sent chills up my spine.  {Love that song!}

Matt had a small part in a funny skit entitled, "The Pit".  Sort of like a modern day Good Samaritan story.  His role was that of an engineer who couldn't figure a way to get the fallen man out of the pit.  There he is, all official looking with his hard hat and clip board. 

Caleb teamed up with a buddy to do a skit full of British humor.  I think Caleb was made for the stage. What a HAM!



You can see the panel of judges sitting up front.   What you don't see are their ear to ear smiles.  It's really fun to learn something new about someone {"I didn't know she could play the ...."} and to see the different talents God has given to each of them. 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Coffee's lime-light and my brilliant husband

I need to give coffee its time in the limelight, since I featured tea in my last post and because, after all, I am a coffee snob.

In case you didn't know this already.... 


  • Espresso {coffee with water filtered through - very quickly.  Brew is very strong.}
  • Drip {coffee with water filtered through - slower than espresso.  Brew is not as strong as espresso.}
  • Americano {brewed with equal parts of espresso and water.} 
  • Latte {espresso shots with steamed milk.}
  • Cappuccino {espresso shots with steamed milk & foam with milk/foam in equal portions}.


Lattes are delicious.  Lattes made with creamy, delicious goat milk are marvelous and addicting.
Lately, however, I've been enjoying the understated Americano "with room".  "With room - leaves room for a splash of half & half or goat milk. 

The other day my husband topped my Americano with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon.
BRILLIANT!  It was just the touch. It gives it a little special flavor without sweetener. 

When I was in college, I used to brew up a pot of coffee with a teaspoon of cinnamon in with the grounds, but I had forgotten just how yummy that was. 

I love it so much that I switched out my salt and pepper shakers so I could have them available for cinnamon and nutmeg.



It's delish.  So, if you are tiring of your regular cup o' joe, switch it up a little and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. 


Thursday, November 7, 2013

My new obsession

Hello,
My name is Carol
and I'm a coffee snob.  It's true.  I confess.

BUT...

I'm allowed to be;  I live in the Great Northwest, THE "coffee capital of America", where each town averages a dozen corner latte stands and a couple of  Starbuck's too. 

I know a good cup of coffee!  Since I go for taste over the name... that makes me a coffee snob.

My son has a friend who is a tea snob.  He's not really snobby, but he does love a good cup of tea, and often finds unique blends from specialty shops in THE CITY.

He happens to be our piano teacher, so while over at his home for lessons, he recently told me about this tea.

 
Harney & Sons Fine Teas
Tea blends ~ unique and uncommon
 
 
Harney & Sons has several blends, but this Hot Cinnamon Sunset is really amazing.  It's a black tea blended with cinnamon, sweet cloves, and orange peel.  It reminds me a bit of Good Earth Original tea, but yet it's different.  It is the perfect blend to enjoy on these autumn days. 

 
Even their tea "sachet" is unique and just one makes two cups of tea. 
 {tea sachet...doesn't that sound just a little bit tea-snobby-ish to you?}
 
Best of all, you don't have to find a specialty tea shop, just visit your local Target.  :-)
So pick some up, brew up a steaming hot cup of tea, and enjoy while you make all your Thanksgiving plans.  :-)
 
 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Sarah's bridal shower

The countdown has begun.  The wedding is less than 1 month away.  Just the other evening two of Sarah's closest friends, held a bridal shower in her honor.  



It had been a very blustery, stormy day with chilly temperatures.  Since the shower was in the evening, it was dark outside, but the smell of wood smoke wafting in the air and the warm glow of lights inside beckoned us to come in from the cold.
Smiling hostesses and the aroma of fresh baked French bread greeted us at the door.

Grace {Sarah's maid of honor} and Kirsten {one of Sarah's bridesmaids} had made of delicious meal of spaghetti, French bread and salad.  {Those of us who are GF had spaghetti squash in place of noodles, and an AMAZING GF flat bread.} 

To top off the meal, Grace had made a 4 layer pumpkin cake with layers of cream cheese in between and a chocolate ganache on top.  It was decadent {or so I was told.}  She also made gluten free pumpkin cupcakes with a delicious cream cheese frosting, which Hannah and I thoroughly enjoyed...cheating with the frosting, but hey, it's my daughter's bridal shower!




Following the meal, the girls had a couple of games planned.  
The first one was "what is in your purse".  
Some ladies never clean out their purses are very prepared.

The second game was one I had never seen before.  The bride must answer questions about the groom, but for each question she gets wrong, she must chew a piece of gum.  They were merciless in choosing Bazooka bubblegum.  Some of the questions were simple, like "what is his favorite color".  Some were much more obscure like "what is his mother's middle name".   
Kirsten asked the questions, while Grace made sure not a piece of gum was missed.


Sarah did her best "chubby-bunny" impression. 
Notice all the gum wrappers on the box?

After that bit of fun, Sarah opened gifts.   
She was blessed by the outpouring of love by many.  




I was tickled to see that this old-fashioned tradition isn't lost to a world of gift bags. 

I was so blessed to be a part of this special occasion for Sarah.
She and Tristan will have such fun creating a home together....in only 27 more days!


Friday, November 1, 2013

Say "YES"!

I don’t usually do posts with a political flavor, not because I am not passionate about issues, but because I am not confident in my articulation of the facts or my thoughts.  However, I feel I must say something about the upcoming election in Washington state, specifically about I-522.   This is the initiative about labeling food that is GMO.

What is GMO?  It stands for Genetically Modified Organism. 

That should raise an eyebrow.  Let’s say it again.  Genetically modified.

The original intent of Monsanto was to inject the fruit/vegetable/grain seed such that it became distasteful to pests, thereby needing less pesticide use.  Sounds good, right? Great in theory, BUT...  it’s not going the way they intended.  {But why would the top manufacturer of pesticide want that anyway?}

Studies have shown that a diet filled with foods that are GMO wreak havoc on the immune and reproductive systems.  Hmmm, bees gather pollen from these plants.  Is it any wonder they are suffering from colony collapse disorder? 

Studies also show how depleted the soils are from essential nutrients.  Farmers who have bought into the promise of bigger/better yields are in a vicious cycle of chemical reap and rape.  And now they are stuck because they can’t afford to have small yields, which would be the result if they stop using the chemicals and GMO crops until the soil was replenished in a healthy way.

I firmly believe that when you start monkeying with what God created to make it “better” {HELLO – better than the Creator of the universe could do?}  You are in for trouble.   There is a delicate balance between plants and bugs and it is necessary.   

So, why am I telling you this? 

Big Agriculture is there to make money.  They spend big money too.  They make it sound like it will be such a hardship on the consumer if labeling is required as food prices will go up in order to cover the cost of labeling all food that is GMO.

Eyebrow raise #2.   If the cost is so great, then there must be A LOT OF FOOD to label.
{and that’s what we are eating without knowing it!}  
They don’t mention, however, the cost of increased medical expenses for health issues resulting from a diet laden with GMO foods.

I want to have the choice!  I have the right to know how it is grown and where my food comes from.  Then, I the consumer, can choose which food I’ll buy.  Perhaps that is what they {Big Ag., Monsanto} are afraid of….that people won’t want FRANKEN-FOOD!!!

DON’T BE FOOLED… Vote in favor of labeling food.
{Even if you live elsewhere, but have a similar measure on your ballot.}